Stumple Lake in Itasca County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In Minnesota, Stumple Lake falls inside Itasca County. Elevation runs to 1,391 feet. It covers about 10 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It is a small entry by Itasca County standards. Start from Coleraine, 21 miles down the road. The big place round here is Fargo, 163 miles distant. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Stumple Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Open biodiversity records for Itasca County list yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Stumple Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 66°F at the top of summer and 4°F at the bottom of winter. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid April. The lid tends to go about mid April and return around late November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. It sets the rhythm of the year at Stumple Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. If the gate is shut, Little Otter Lake at 0.3 miles is the nearest alternative. Confirm before you fish Stumple Lake.